Advent Calendar
by Obscure Soul
Summary: This is taken from a list of 25 Christmassy prompts that I found on Tumblr. All unrelated one-shots, all Christmassy, and all Jecker. Rated 'T' for safety.
1. Mistletoe

**A/N: **So, this is the first Jecker fic I've written in a while. I've been lacking inspiration, and, when I've found it, I haven't really rated it highly enough to post. Coupled with a heavy workload from school, and a complicated original story that doesn't seem to want to be written, I've had enough procrastination time. But I saw these prompts and I set myself a challenge. I'm going to write 25 Jecker one-shots, all less than 1000 words, and all before Christmas day. I hope you enjoy them.

* * *

**1. Mistletoe**

Jess was enjoying helping Becker's family decorate immensely. She loved spending time with him, and with them. They loved her, and they accepted her into their home.

She smiled as she watched his nephew, run through, chasing his younger cousin, and both wearing gleeful expressions.

"Hey," she said softly to Lizzi, his youngest sister, as she sidled up beside her.

"Hey," Lizzi smile back, as she followed Jess' gaze through to the kitchen, where Becker and their mum, Lyn, were cooking dinner.

"You've got it bad," she stated. It wasn't in a teasing way – it was more factual, than anything.

Jess smiled slightly, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Yeah," she admitted quietly. "Yeah, I guess so."

Lizzi looked at her imploringly. "Why don't you just tell him?"

Jess grimaced. "That would probably be the stupidest thing I'd ever even considered."

Lizzi rolled her eyes. "Why?"

Jess sighed. "I'm not going into this. I just want to have a nice, relaxing day, with no work, and no teasing. Is that too much to ask?"

As her eyes settled on the two young children, who were entering a tickling war with Becker, Jess was pretty sure of what her friend's answer would be.

"_Yes_," Lizzi grinned. Jess looked away pointedly, but gave a little giggle.

"Come on, everybody, I want a nice picture," Anna, Becker's older sister, said, hurrying from upstairs, with a camera in her hand, and a grin on her face.

Jess hesitated as the family all piled into the picture, and found herself being dragged in by Anna, anyway. She set the camera up on a tripod, and pressed the button, as the group arranged themselves. Jess found herself tucked into Becker's side, with his arm around her. Just before the camera flashed, Becker leant down and whispered in her ear. So, as Anna showed the photo, she saw her very bright red face, as she looked up into his eyes, with a surprised smile.

"Aww, that's cute. I want one of you two together!"

At this, Jess blushed even more. "Really?" Jess asked, hiding her hands in her face, trying to stop herself from blushing.

Anna smirked. "Yes. You two are just adorable together."

"How about no," Becker smirked down at her, before hurrying off into the safety of the kitchen.

* * *

Of course, Anna took every opportunity after that. When they were having a tinsel fight, when they were laughing at a very rubbish cracker joke, when they danced with the kids, when they slow danced by themselves...

Jess smiled at the memories on her laptop screen, making a mental note to get them printed off, and make a photo album to stick them in.

Her smile widened, as she arrived at the last pictures.

* * *

"Hey, Jess, can you come and get this for me?" Anna called. Rolling her eyes, and knowing another photo was waiting, Jess went anyway. Just as she passed through the doorway into the kitchen, she was stopped, as she bumped into Becker.

"Now kiss!" Anna called gleefully.

"What?" the pair questioned. Anna gestured upward, and both saw, rather predictably, the mistletoe hanging innocently above them.

Jess' cheeks burned, and she looked away shyly, biting her lip. "Um..."

Becker exhaled, and Jess knew that he was glaring at his sister. However, when she looked up, she could see his cheeks coloured pink, and felt, rather than saw, his eyes boring into her.

Jess swallowed. "Right, then..."

"Yeah," Becker nodded, her eyes burning into hers. Jess could feel her cheeks heating more than she felt possible.

Sighing impatiently, Becker leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers softly.

It was the most amazing few seconds of her life so far.

His mouth was warm, and his lips were moulded to hers. They were a little chapped, and quite rough, but it was perfect all the same.

Though Jess wanted to move closer, to hold him and never let go, she didn't complain when he pulled away.

There was a brief moment, when Jess was once again consumed by his eyes, and she could've sworn that he was leaning in again...

But the telltale click of Anna's camera quite effectively ruined the moment.

Clearing his throat embarrassedly, Becker retreated back into the kitchen. Jess was feeling decidedly warmer, and was grateful when Lizzi handed her a glass of rum punch.

* * *

Jess was dragged out of her reverie, as the doorbell rang. It was then that she noted the light coating of snow on the ground. Unfolding her legs from underneath her, and setting her wine glass on the table, Jess went to answer the door.

She saw Becker stood there, with snow in his hair. The dirtiness of the tracks behind him proved he'd been there for a while.

"Hey," she smiled softly. "Something up?"

"Apart from snow?" he asked, smiling crookedly. Jess rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, there is," Becker told her, the grin sliding off his face.

"What?" Jess asked curiously.

"This," he said simply, stepping closer, and framing his gloved hands around her face. Before Jess could question what was going on, Becker's lips were against hers for the second time that day.

And it was so much better.


	2. Hot Chocolate

**A/N: This is the shortest one I've written so far, being exactly 100 words. Jecker est.**

* * *

**2. Hot Chocolate**

As the weather got colder, Jess noticed something. Something quite little, she guessed, but it gave her an insight.

Becker lived on coffee and tea. Their cupboard was full of various teas and coffee blends, but the hot chocolate only started appearing at the start of November.

He drank it with squirty cream, marshmallows and cinnamon, like a big kid. She often teased him for it, but he just rolled his eyes at her.

Jess wasn't a big lover of hot chocolate - it tasted too weird.

Of course, when she tasted it on him, it tasted ten times better.


	3. Snow

**A/N: Probably the one I'm least happy with, so far. Let me know what you think?**

* * *

**3. Snow**

Jess loved snow. She wasn't really big on cold weather in general, apart from the excuse to wear her winter wardrobe - but snow was the exception to the rule.

As a kid, she'd loved making snow angels and snow-women, and even building igloos she's play games in with her friends.

But her favourite thing of all was the snowball fights.

She woke up one morning, and, as predicted, the snow was thick and fluffy on the ground. They'd struggled, but succeeded, to get to work, but things were slow moving. At lunchtime, Jess was bored, and she'd had enough.

There was a large park, about fifteen minutes' walk from the ARC. So, with an idea in mind, she text the main team.

_meet me by the lifts on hub level w/outdoor clothes on in 15 mins :) xx_

When she arrived, she was met with five questioning faces.

"Jess, where are we going?" asked Abby.

"Outside!" she exclaimed brightly.

* * *

"Oi!" Connor exclaimed, as something wet and vaguely solid hit his head. He whirled around to face Becker, who raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Oh, just blame me, why don't you, Temple?" Becker asked dryly.

"Who was it then?" Connor asked, looking around the group. As he began to turn around, another snowball hit him.

"Oi!" he cried again. "Jess!"

Jess giggled, another snowball in her hand, and a smirk plastered over her face, as Matt exclaimed his surprise.

Jess ducked as Connor threw a snowball at her, though it missed by several inches. Sticking her tongue out, Jess returned fire.

Seeing Abby raising her hand to help her husband, Becker bent down, and swiftly covered Jess. Smirking, Becker quickly fired another two snowballs at Becker's attackers. Jess met Becker's eyes, and both nodded. Jess ran off toward the woods, whilst Becker covered her, backtracking slowly all the while.

Matt, Abby and Connor found it impossible to break past Becker, especially as he had Emily helping him.

* * *

When the group finally arrived at the forest, Jess was prepared. Hiding behind a wall of snow, quickly compacted, she began firing snowballs at the enemy. Becker and Emily dived behind the shield, as Connor quickly began forging one of their own. Slowly, but surely, Matt and Abby broke down the wall, and Jess' team fled.

"First ones to cave are on paperwork duty!" Jess cried as they left.

* * *

"Oh!" she exclaimed, as Becker caught her from slipping. Rolling his eyes, with a smirk on his face, he tutted.

"Jessica, you ought to be more careful."

Sticking a tongue out at him, Jess righted herself.

"How far away are they, Em?" Jess asked, as Becker began climbing one of the trees.

"Quite far. They are attempting to follow the tracks, but I think we threw them off the scent."

"Good to know that the branch did its job," Jess said, as Becker spoke.

"Good," Becker said from above, smirking. "Gives me more time to rig the trap."

"What trap?" Jess questioned.

"That would be telling," Becker said, with a grin.

* * *

Though Becker's trap backfired, and though they ended up, rosy cheeked, doing the team's paperwork once they got back, Jess could safely say she'd had fun. Especially with the benefits, such as getting Becker's thick jacket around her shoulders, a large chocolate bar, and the delightful company of the man himself.

Yeah, it wasn't all that bad.


	4. Candy Canes

**A/N: Lots of flirting, quite a few innuendos. Jecker est.**

* * *

**4. Candy Canes**

"What _are_ you wearing?" was Becker's first question. Jess rolled her eyes, as she turned around to face him.

"I'm a candy cane!" she said brightly. And she was. Sort of. She wore a white and red striped dress over a thick red polar neck, with white tights travelling into her fluff-lined red boots.

"Of course you are," he replied dryly. "You realise there's another 21 days until Christmas right?"

Jess rolled her eyes again. "Yes. That doesn't mean I can't celebrate now."

"On the contrary," Becker replied smoothly. "You're not supposed to start until 12 days before. My Christmas decorations don't go up until then, so I don't start celebrating until then."

"Spoilsport," Jess poked her tongue out at him. "My decorations went up on Saturday!"

"Of course they did," he smirked. Looking her up and down, he added. "For what it's worth, I think you make a very good candy cane."

"I make a good Santa's helper, too..." Jess trailed off coyly, before smirking evilly, as Becker winced at the image.

"I'll bet you do," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked sweetly, looking up at him through her lashes.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked, scowling.

"Oh, immensely, Captain," she smirked up at him. Leaning in closer, Becker's lips hovered above her ear as he spoke.

"Not as much as you'll be enjoying it later," he breathed, his low voice turning sultry. He felt her shiver as he pulled away and was satisfied by the way Jess' eyes darkened.

"Oh, really?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "I think I'll have to see it before I believe it."

"Is that a promise?" he asked flirtatiously, raising his eyebrows at her.

"I'd say it's more of an invite..." she trailed off, shrugging.

"I'll meet you at yours at six, yeah?" Becker asked with a charming grin.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Anybody would think I'd been depriving you of something."

"No," Becker said, before continuing innocently. "I just like spending time with my girlfriend," he told her quietly, curling a lock of hair around her ear delicately.

"Yeah, right," Jess giggled teasingly. "Definitely using me for my body."

"Damn, you've got me," he laughed, before gently grabbing her waist and pulling her closer. "Was I too obvious?"

"No, but you definitely are being now," Jess told him, smiling cheekily.

"You're right," Becker said curtly, stepping away, and smirking, as the grin fell off Jess' face. "I apologise. I'll see you at six."

And with that, Becker left, with Jess wondering how on Earth he'd won that.


	5. Christmas Tree

**5. Christmas Tree**

Jess smiled to herself as she darted about her living room hanging up her Christmas decorations, and humming Christmas songs as she went.

"Looks like a fairy exploded its innards all over your front room," commented Becker leaning against the doorframe.

Jess jumped out of her skin, as she turned to face him. Her scolding, however, never fell from her lips, as she took in Becker's lack of dress.

His hair was tousled, and his eyes were a little bleary. His lovely sculpted chest was bare, and the waistband of his pants was visible over the top of his grey jogging bottoms.

"Morning," Becker smirked snapping her out of her reverie. Tutting, she walked over, and swatted his shoulder, before brushing past him into the kitchen.

"I know I said you could stay over for a couple of nights, but I mention insulting my handiwork with disgusting imagery!" she exclaimed, flicking on the kettle. "But, seeing as you're up, you can help me decorate."

* * *

"Jessica, what is the point of having a Christmas tree taller than yourself?" Becker asked, as he carried the box down from the loft.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Because five foot trees aren't tall enough," she responded, with a smile. Sighing heavily, Becker deposited the box in the middle of the floor.

"Right then," he said. "Let's get started."

Bit by bit, they put the tree up, and gradually began to decorate it.

It took several hours.

First to untangle the lights (and Jess - who'd managed to get tangled up in them). Then, most of the tinsel ended up on the floor, and all over Jess and Becker, before it finally found itself on the tree. After that, Jess had managed to lose her tree chocolates - Becker suspected that "lose" might be loosely applied.

And then, to cap it all off, Jess' ladder was round at Abby and Connor's, who were busy decorating their new flat.

"You could always put the tree topper on," Jess mused, albeit sadly. Becker shook his head.

"I couldn't possibly. It's your tree; you should do it."

"But I can't reach!" Jess complained staring up at the tree. Chuckling softly, Becker moved toward her.

The first thing Jess felt was his breath, soft and teasing, against her neck. The next thing she knew, his hands were lightly gripping her waist, and suddenly, she couldn't touch the ground anymore - quite literally.

"Oh!" Jess exclaimed in surprise, as she rose to meet the top of the tree.

"You know, I'm beginning to think that, besides chocolate, you really don't eat enough."

"Oh, hush, you," Jess rolled her eyes, as she stuck the golden star atop the tree. Clapping her hands happily, she turned around in Becker's arms, and hugged him, before she'd even reached the floor. Chuckling softly into her neck, Becker hugged her back.

Inhaling deeply, Becker knew he had to let go. Breathing an almost inaudible sigh Becker gently set Jess to her feet.

And, then, out of nowhere, she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly. Blinking, to snap himself out of it, Becker hastily arranged his features into a smile, and hoped that the shock didn't show through.

"What for?" he asked quietly.

"For today," she shrugged. "For helping me."

Becker rolled his eyes. "You're letting me stay here while my heating's out, so I guess it's the least I can do."

Jess smiled. "So we're even then?"

Becker shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" Jess asked, her eyebrows furrowing in curiosity.

"Because," Becker said, wrapping his arms back around her waist. "You kissed me. So I'd like to make it even."

And he did. Several times, in fact.


	6. Angel

**A/N: Another short, drabble-style one.**

* * *

**6. Angel**

Becker was a religious man.

He'd grown up in a Christian family, and had taken that with him everywhere he went. He prayed three times a day - once when he woke up, the second at dinner, and again when he went to bed at night. He even went to church on Sunday mornings, when he wasn't called in on an emergency.

He'd always believed in angels, and the Christmas miracle.

But he'd never quite pictured them in short skirts and high heels.

She was. Jessica Parker was his guardian angel in high heels and a short skirt. She saved him on a near-daily basis, from any predators, or dangerous antics. She cheered him up when his thoughts would linger in places where they shouldn't. She made him enjoy himself - enjoy life, at a time when he thought he'd never do so again.

Becker didn't think he'd ever fall in love with an angel.

But in the end, it was hard not to.


	7. Pie

**A/N: I think I take Jess' stance on this one. Yuck.**

* * *

**7. Pie**

"You've never tried a mince pie?" Becker asked, looking at Jess, aghast. She shook her head.

"Our family never did Christmas pudding, or mince pies. I don't think my mum liked them all that much."

"But...but-" Becker stuttered, before looking determinedly at her. "Right, Jessica Parker, I am going to make you a mince pie!"

* * *

"So...let me get this straight," Jess said, as Becker kneaded the ball of dough. "You're using mincemeat...which actually isn't mincemeat."

Becker nodded. "A little silly, I know. It's actually just a little meat, fruits, and spices."

He then broke the dough up into two, unevenly sized, smaller balls, and proceeded to make even smaller balls out of the larger one.

"The concept just _sounds_ revolting," Jess commented. Becker rolled his eyes.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," he chastised gently, lining the tins with the dough.

It took twenty minutes for the pies to cook. Once they were cooled, Becker dusted them with icing sugar, before offering Jess one, and taking one for himself.

He watched in amusement, as Jess took her first bite. She chewed, as a look of horror appeared on her face. Swallowing, with difficulty, she rushed to pour herself a glass of water.

"Ugh!" she cried. "That's _disgusting_!"

Freezing a little, she backtracked. "Not your cooking, I mean. I've tasted it before, there's nothing wrong with it, but the mincemeat part is just _horrible_. Obviously not that bad, because other people like it- I mean, not _me_, personally-"

"Jess, it's okay," Becker cut across her, chuckling. "It just means more for me!" he said, with a wink.

Jess rolled her eyes. "You're not going to share?"

"No!"


	8. Tinsel

**8. Tinsel**

"There's no tinsel on your tree!" Jess exclaimed, in shock. Becker grimaced.

"_No!_" he exclaimed. "I can't _stand_the stuff!"

"_How?_" Jess asked, a look of horror on her face.

"It gets _everywhere_," Becker told her firmly, scowling. "It's _incredibly_messy, and not to mention the cat goes ballistic-"

"Cat?" Jess questioned. "What cat?"

Becker rolled his eyes. "_My_cat. Sophia."

"You have a cat?"

"Yes, Jessica. I have a cat. Can we move on?"

"No!" she said, mock-offended. "I can't believe, that you're only telling me, a month into our relationship, that you have a cat? That is...that's shocking stuff, Hilary."

Becker laughed. "Well, I had to see if this relationship was going to work," he said, mock-seriously. "Introducing people to Sophia is a big thing for me - she gets very attached, very easily, and it's not fair on her if I just bring round women, willy nilly."

Jess looked up at him, with a small smile. "You think we're going to work?"

Becker smiled down at her. "I'm going to make sure we are," he replied gently, bending to brush his nose against hers. Her smile widened.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Okay," he nodded back, before pressing his lips to hers.


	9. Ice Skating

**A/N: This one's taken me the best part of the day to write, and I'm not too sure about it, so any reviews would be greatly received.**

* * *

**9. Ice Skating**

"Okay, Jess," she murmured to herself, as she stood awkwardly in front of the mirror, appraising her outfit.

It wasn't _exactly _what she'd pictured wearing for her first date with Becker - at all. (She'd imagined it many times, in many different outfits, but it wasn't something she'd be admitting to any time soon.)

_But_, she thought, _under the circumstances, I guess it's okay._

It was mid-December, and Becker, after three years of dancing around each other, had finally asked her out.

The problem was, they were going ice-skating.

Which Jess had never done.

She was keen to try it! (Of course, she'd be keen to try anything - she was going on a date with Becker!) But that didn't mean she was a little apprehensive.

_What if I make a fool of myself, or ruin the date, or-_

"Becker!" came Abby's surprised tone. Jess swallowed; her brain going into full panic mode.

"Um...hi. Jess here?" his smooth voice floated through.

"Jess, Becker's here to see you!" Abby called. Jess was suddenly reminded that she hadn't even notified her flatmates of her date.

"Just coming!" she called back. Giving herself one last look in the mirror, she left her room, knowing if she didn't at that moment, it was likely she never would.

"Hey," Becker grinned at her. Jess blushed a little, but gave a shy smile.

"Hey. I'll just get my shoes," she said. Becker nodded.

"Wait, are you two going somewhere?" Abby asked curiously. Jess didn't bother answering her, as she heard Becker begin talking to her.

Stopping her mind in its over-analysing-Becker's-calmness tracks, Jess forced her mind to relax. She pulled on her only pair of trainers, hot pink, of course, and came back to Becker.

"I'm ready," she informed him with a smile.

Becker nodded. "Alright. See you later, Abby."

"Have fun, guys," she smirked. "Behave!"

Jess turned a shocking shade of red, as Becker rolled his eyes.

{**}

"Um...would now be a good time to mention I haven't done this before?" Jess asked uncertainly, as they got out of the car.

The air was chilly, and Jess could see her breath curling from her mouth as she spoke. Becker laughed.

"Probably better to mention it now, than after we get on the ice," he said cheerfully. "It's not a problem. I can teach you."

Feeling incredibly relieved, Jess smiled, and took his proffered hand.

Up ahead, Jess could see the brightly lit ice rink, with music playing from the speakers, and people gliding about on the ice.

"Do you do this often?" she asked. Becker shook his head.

"Not anymore," he told her. "I used to go with my sisters when I was a kid."

"You've got two sisters, right?" Jess asked. Becker nodded.

"Yeah, Anna, and Lizzi. What about you? Any siblings, or anything?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah. I've got two older sisters, and an older brother. The eldest is Cate. She's thirteen years older than me. Then, the twins, Beth and Seth, they're nine years older than me."

"That's quite an age gap," Becker noted. Jess smiled slightly.

"My parents prefer to refer to it as a happy accident," she shrugged.

Becker chuckled slightly. "D'you see them much?"

"As much as the job allows," she shrugged. "I try to have dinner with them once a month."

"I spend my day off with mum, the girls, and their kids."

"Not your dad?" Jess asked softly, well aware that this could be a touchy area.

Becker shook his head. "He died when I was sixteen. He, um...he got caught up in 9/11."

"Oh," Jess said softly. "I'm sorry."

Becker shook his head. "Don't be. They said he was trying to help people get out anyways, so he died how he wanted."

A silence descended over the pair as they reached the ice rink, and Jess was hoping that it would lift the slightly sombre mood.

{**}

"See, you're getting it!" Becker told her, grinning. Jess grinned. She'd been trying, for two hours, to move more than one step along the ice, without falling over. She was a little shaky, but at least she was moving under her own steam.

On the upside, the bruising on her bum could've been a lot worse, if Becker hadn't caught her multiple times. Which was an upside in itself.

"Shall we call it a night?" Becker asked. "It's getting late, and we both have to work tomorrow."

Jess sighed, a little sadly, but she nodded. "Yeah, okay."

{**}

"I had a nice time tonight," Jess smiled up at him, as they stood at the door to her flat.

"Me too," Becker said softly, grinning. "I've not enjoyed myself that much in a long time," he paused. "Are you busy Saturday?"

Jess shook her head, smiling shyly. "Not currently."  
"D'you wanna go see a movie, or something?"

Nodding, she answered, "I'd love to."

"Great."

Jess blushed, before leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek lightly. "Thank you for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Becker nodded. He watched her intently for a moment, before leaning in and pressing a light kiss to her lips.

"Goodnight, Jess," he said quietly.

"Bye," she replied, almost breathlessly.

She stepped into her flat with a wide grin on her face, hoping that the hours would hurry by.


	10. Frost

**A/N: Okay, first of all, I'd like to say I'm really sorry. I've had such a great response to this story, and I've left it behind. Admittedly, December was a rough month. There were a lot of problems, both internal and external, that were difficult to deal with, and that doesn't even include revision and mock exams. I didn't really feel Christmassy, and I didn't have time to write, so I didn't. To be honest, I still don't feel Christmassy, but I want to keep writing this. So, if anybody wants this, I'm going to finish the prompts, whether it's the correct season or not. **

* * *

Becker was having a bad day. First of all, he'd woken up during the night, because he'd thought he'd heard something downstairs. Then, being the paranoid person he was, he'd waited up for hours, just to prove to himself that nobody was there, and ended up falling asleep on the sofa.

That must've made him very tired, because he then didn't wake up until eight. Becker wasn't normally the kind of man to sleep past six am, so he never set an alarm. He had an hour to get ready to go to work, and he'd have to fight through the traffic to get there. Deciding to skip breakfast, and have the quickest shower and shave of his life, Becker yanked on his clothes and hurried outside by twenty past.

He'd failed to look out of the window, in that time, however.

"Just what I need!" he growled, as he turned on the engine. Grabbing the can of de-icer from his car, he shook it firmly, and began the torturously slow process of de-icing his car.

* * *

After getting caught by traffic, and driving at a snail's speed most of the way, Becker managed to get into work at half past ten.

"What time d'you call this?" Lester asked sardonically, as Becker stormed through the doors. Ignoring him completely, he passed through Ops and down to the firing range.

* * *

After a laborious incursion, complete with prehistoric beavers (Becker didn't care what Temple called them, they looked like large bloody rodents to him), Becker sat in his office, starving, as he wrote up his report.

A knock on the door made him glare daggers at the person who was on the other side.

"Come in," he said shortly. He gave an inaudible, exasperated sigh, when he saw Jess come in, but perked up almost immediately, when he saw the peace offering in her hands.

"You haven't had lunch yet, have you?" she asked. Becker shook his head.

"I haven't eaten all day," he told her. She smiled brightly at him.

"Well, I got you a sandwich from Greggs, and I thought you might like a coffee as well?"

"Jess, you're brilliant," he told her, grinning, as she set the items on his desk. "Have I ever told you that?"

She laughed. "Frequently. But it doesn't hurt to keep on telling me."

"Are you staying? Because I'd like the company. I could do with some cheering up," he said, as he ripped open the sandwich package. Beaming, Jess took the chair on the opposite side of his desk, and began rambling away.

Becker had woken up feeling like a metaphorical icicle, but he knew he could always count on Jess to thaw him out.


End file.
